The pasuk says (12:7) "And Hashem appeared to Avram and He said "to your offsprings I will give this land" and he (Avraham) built there a mizbai'ach to Hashem Who appeared to him." The Ramban says on this pasuk "The reason why "to Hashem Who appeared to him" is because he (Avraham) is thankful to the Honorable Name and he sacrificed a sacrifice of thanks because He appeared to him, because until now Hashem did not appear to him in a vision... but when He said Lech Lecha... it was in a dream or with Ruach Hakodesh. The words "Who appeared to him" is hinting to the secret of the korbon. And a Maskil understands." I in no way claim to be a maskil of any kind, but with some help of a few other sources we may understand the secret to korbanot!
The Meshech Chachama on this pasuk is quite eye opening. "This matter is spoken about (Iyov 19:26) "And my flesh will see God." To my knowledge the Nefesh is a spiritual being who fears and honors Hashem. But since it is placed into a disgusting body it is separated from its father in Heaven, so Hashem gave us the Torah to use as a microscope to remove our dirty clothes and be like before we were born. [As Chazal explain (Brachot 32b) "From when the Beit Hamikdash was destroyed a wall of iron was placed between the Jews and their Father in heaven." This is the wall that stops us from the pure lens of sight.] It is possible to use the Torah to remove this wall between us and Hashem and be able to see Hashem. This is what the pasuk in Iyov means "With my flesh"- the disgusting flesh, "I will see"- with a unnatural sight. That is why the pasuk says "Echaze" (I will see a vision) and not "Ereh" (I will see). We see that the word of Hashem comes even to animals (the snake and the fish) but we do not see anywhere that the animals saw Hashem. Adam before the sin was a pure body who had no issue seeing the honor of Hashem, this is why he walked naked. For the spirit all parts of the body are equal because he had no desires and no bad parts. But when he ate from Eitz Hadat the body switched to a disgusting body with bad Kochot desiring pleasures and anger... and now they knew they were naked and they were embarrassed, because now they had a flesh of ervah. Then it says "And they heard the voice of God" they only heard the voice but they did not see the honor of Hashem... because their bodies separated them from their Father in heaven. From that point until now we have only seen "And Hashem said" but not "And Hashem appeared." Only when Avraham came to the Eretz Yisrael did his body become like Adam's before the sin. This is what the pasuk means when it says "And Hashem appeared to Avraham saying"- now he was able to see Him. This is what our pasuk means "And he built a mizbai'ach to Hashem Who appeared to him" that Avraham was able to see Him before he heard Him, because his body was not a separation. And this is what the pasuk means "And I appeared to Avraham Yitzchak and Yaakov" (Shemot 6:2) And we see it by all of the Avot that "Hashem appeared to him."
The gemara on Shabbat 146a explains that from Avraham to Yaakov the zuhama that was placed in man after the sin was removed.
The gemara in Brachot in the fourth perek has a machloket if the tefillot we have today come from the Avot or the Korbanot. There is a perush that explains that once the avot davened at those times it made it possible for us to daven at those times. By Avraham davening in the morning it gave us the ability to do the same.
The gemara in Megillah (31b) has a conversation between Hashem and Avraham. Avraham says "Master of the World, maybe Chas V'Shalom the Jews will sin before You will You do to them like what you did to the Generation of the mabul or the flaga?" He answered Avraham "No" Avraham asked "Master of the World, with what will I know this?" He said "Give me a calf..." Avraham said "Master of the World, that is fine in the time of the Beit Hamikdash, but what will happen in the time when there is no Beit Hamikdash?" Hashem answered "I have already esablished for them an order of Korbanot for all time that they can read and I will make it as if they brought a korban and I will forgive them for all of their sins." This shows us that by the time of Avraham Hashem already had an order set up for how we will bring korbanot when there is no longer a Beit Hamikdash. It is possible to say that just like Tefillat Shacharit that Avraham gave us the ability to daven so too he gave us the ability to bring korbanot.
The Vilna Goan in his sefer Aderet/s Eliyahu writes that this very mizbai'ach is the "destroyed Mizbai'ach of Eliyahu." If we look in Melachim 1 perek 18 we see the story of Eliyahu beating the prophets of peor in challenge where Eliyahu fixes the mizbai'ach of Hashem and is able to bring a korban on it.
In the times of Mashiach, may they come soon, this very challenge will happen again. Except this time the results will be different and the Jews will have the hardest test of Emuna that they have ever experienced. At the end of the trial Hashem will reveal Himself. Through this mizbai'ach Hashem will reveal Himself just as He had done with Avraham.
Now we can begin to understand the depths of Avraham's korban! Avraham built the very mizbai'ach that would later prove to the Jews that Hashem is the only true God. Avraham built it because Hashem revealed Himself, and Avraham was preparing for the time when after many years Hashem will finally reveal Himself to the world in the times of Mashiach, when everyone will have removed the dirt off of their bodies and return to a time before the sin of Adam.
Have a Great Shabbat!
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